New enthusiasts lose out hanks to EVs getting popular and our archaic road tax systems
Okay, let me get this out of the way right off the bat, I am ranting, and yes, as far as the government side of things here in Malaysia goes, we all know who is responsible for what I think is a frankly archaic (it is a system even abolished in its country of origin now) road tax system but since I prefer being out here instead of in prison on false charges, I will not name names.
All right, we know the gist, right? Every 0.5cc in displacement your engine goes up, the tax is tripled. That’s common knowledge, however, the underlying message behind this road tax system in Malaysia that a lot of younger Malaysians do not realize is that this was done to give local brands (with much smaller displacement engines) an edge.
Moreover, this move, while definitely helping the local economy, very abruptly shuts down healthy competition and unfortunately, means that most Malaysians in the lower income brackets, are stuck with cars that have very little to offer in quality and tech because local manufacturers know, the majority of us cannot afford better cars anyway.
Another side effect of this unfortunate and frankly ancient road tax system we have here in Malaysia is that enthusiasts like myself who love American muscle cars (typically VERY high displacement cars) will never get to own, drive or even just listen to the symphony of angels knows as the rumble that a V8, V10 or V12 produces.
This is all fine and dandy as we have the chance to experience these cars overseas or through friends from other countries such as Australia or somewhere in Europe. However, with the governments of the world all shifting focus to electric vehicles (EVs), which are completely silent, new enthusiasts born in 2025 will never have that option either.
On top of that, EVs, while they do serve a purpose, are actually, not much more eco friendly than regular internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles (yes, studies have been done, read up yourself instead of believing everything facebook says), and are far more problematic as their short range and lack of charging infrastructure makes them more of a hassle than anything else.
Plus, since everyone in North America is mad at Mark Zuckerberg right now, I figured, why should Elon Musk escape right? Just like people suspect Mark to be behind the recent tik tok ban (welcome back North America, btw), many believe Musk is behind the global push for EVs so, if fingers need to be pointed anywhere, I guess you know where to point now.
All in all, a car enthusiast will inevitably be drawn to large displacement engines at some point or another but while we are living in a transitional period where enthusiasts find it increasingly difficult to enjoy these things, our kids and those after them may never enjoy them at all. This, to me, is incredibly sad, but what do you guys think?
